I got a new iPhone last week so that when I am at my husband’s stand at the Farmer’s Market, I can take credit cards with the Square. I spent a long time trying to figure out the best deal from the many credit card companies, and frankly, it was harder than my first year of college! So when my husband came home and said I should Google Square I did and was so happy that someone (one of the founders of Twitter) came up with this easy method that lets you take any credit or debit card with your smart phone. And the best part is that there’s no monthly fee or service contract. Another added perk is that customers think you are cool if you offer this, don’t ask me why. Kind of like if you’re the first kid to have the newest-toy-on-the-block sort of thing. It couldn’t be easier to use, and the money goes straight into your checking account. Perfect for massage therapists, artist’s, and small business owners. And it works with the Droid and the iPad too. It’s great. Really.

But getting an iPhone has made me cross the line from where I set my boundaries in my own personal comfort zone of technology. I mean, I don’t text (I don’t have kids). I don’t really play games. I don’t really get lost, and if I do, I like to look at a map or even ask people for directions. I don’t need to identify a song I like on the radio, I can just enjoy it as something new, and I will leave it to chance when I am on the road and am looking for a good place to eat. If it’s not good, I know it will be an interesting memory.

iPHONE4

So imagine becoming addicted almost immediately to something that I am embarrassed to write about: and that is, checking my incoming email while driving! Can you believe it? It was as if some part of my brain took over and told me: ‘It’s OK…you’re just cleaning up any junk mail and looking for the important ones!” The bad part is that I wasn’t just doing it at red lights. After catching myself doing it during a long stretch on the ride home, I vowed not to touch that iCrackThing while driving ever again. I don’t know what happened, but it’s scary. No wonder Apple is now worth more than the oil companies!

My 10-year-old niece came to visit, and while driving together in the car to the horse ranch that she would be staying at with her Dad in the car ahead, the beautiful mountain views were truly something to behold. She sat next to me playing a game on her new iPhone4. She loves it!, she says. I told her she can love it, but not while driving on vacation with her Aunt Sadhvi.

Oh, by the way, I also write her letters in cursive writing, on cute stationary and send them in the mail with stamps that I pick out, not the ugly Forever Stamps. I had heard they don’t teach cursive writing in schools any longer, and I think that’s kind of a shame. That’s when I started to send her letters. So maybe my niece will be able to land a job someday because she knows how to read cursive?! Just kidding. I really just want to make sure she has human connections to remember instead of awesome games that she remembers playing when she was a kid.

On second thought, maybe all this tuning out and tuning into a hand-held computer that is so cute and sleek and awesome like our iPhones is just a way to tune out the energy of the world?

Until next time: Enjoy!

Sadhvi

“Be careful not to fill up every moment of your life with “stuff”: things to think about, to react against, to worry about, be upset about, regret or even look forward to… There’s more to life. You don’t have to stop doing, but you can intersperse your life with brief moments of presence. Like now… allow everything to be as it is. Then become aware that there is an awareness here, a consciousness, & that THAT is more truly who you are than anything else.”